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| The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Send news tips or feedback to bschott@utahpolicy.com, or message us on Twitter. Situational awareness - February 27, 2020Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake CityTICK TOCKThere are 11 working days remaining in the 2020 Utah Legislature2 days to the South Carolina Democratic primary (2/29/2020)5 days to the Utah presidential primaries (3/3/2020)14 days to the final day of the 2020 Utah Legislature (3/12/2020)26 days to the statewide neighborhood caucus meetings (3/24/2020)58 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic state conventions (4/25/2020)124 days to the 2020 Utah primary elections (6/30/2020)250 Days to the 2020 election (11/3/2020)333 days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/25/2021)Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:Legislative leaders have reached an agreement with Better Boundaries over changes to Prop. 4. Lawmakers looking to put aside cash in case the economy sours. President Trump puts Vice President Pence in charge of the coronavirus response.Thanks for subscribing to Utah's must-read daily political news rundown.If you know of friends or colleagues who would benefit from our daily news roundup, please encourage them to sign up for our emails.Today At Utah PolicyLawmakers plan to establish several 'rainy day' funds in case Utah's economy cools offBy Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Legislative leaders are growing increasingly concerned that Utah's economic good times won't last. They're considering socking away possibly hundreds of millions of dollars from this year's extra cash to prepare for a downturn.Lawmakers and Better Boundaries reach agreement over changes to independent redistricting initiative By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Legislative leaders and representatives for the Better Boundaries group have reached an agreement over changes to the voter-passed initiative to create an independent redistricting commission.Guest opinion: Balanced bonding program makes sense for Utah By Dana Meier, WSP Vice President & Area Manager for Utah, Idaho and Montana There is some discussion in the current Utah legislative session about bonding to accelerate important transportation projects. That would be a welcome and important step, because Utah's population is growing rapidly and little is more critical to economic development and quality of life than a good transportation system. OTHER UTAH HEADLINESDeseret News Jay Evensen: Should you be fined for making a loud noise at a public meeting? Is Utah tech too successful? New report celebrates victories, but highlights concerns Deal reached between lawmakers, Better Boundaries on redistricting Bill to make daylight saving time permanent soars through House Utah House speaker urges teachers union to 'consider alternatives' to walkout Utah bill to lower bigamy penalty clears House Utah speaker wants to set aside more money for financial 'rainy day' Trouble ahead for big $35 million affordable housing bill Utah panel OKs bill to prevent cities and counties from enacting firearm restrictions Tone set for Salt Lake City's efforts to land another Olympics Senate panel approves bill to ban all elective abortions in stateSalt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City school board president steps down Utah lawmakers, anti-gerrymandering group reach deal on Prop 4 Feds halt autonomous shuttle testing in Utah, 9 other states after Ohio incident Utah lawmakers advance bill to block cities and counties from adding gun restrictions Utah lawmakers approve 30-day window for giving up newborn children Senate strikes discriminatory language from Utah surrogacy law Utah Legislature passes daylight saving bill Polygamy bill passes Utah House, appears headed for governor Utah House approves creation of Utahraptor State Park Senate panel approves elective abortion ban in party-line vote 'I would have taxed the life out of them': Senate panel unanimously approves new taxes, restriction on vaping South Salt Lake City Council wants homeless shelter named after civil rights legend France Davis Utah candidates for governor pitch their 'one big idea' for improving air qualityOther Lehi senator's affordable housing bill advances through Senate (Daily Herald) Utah County Commission declares county a 'Second Amendment sanctuary' (Daily Herald) US House hopeful Kerry Gibson backed by 25 leaders in Duchesne, Uintah counties (Standard-Examiner) Utah bill aims to beef up penalties against those who use marijuana and drive (Standard-Examiner)NATIONAL HEADLINES"We're very, very ready for this"President Donald Trump sought to ease fears about the spread of the coronavirus during a rare press conference on Wednesday. During the conference, Trump announced he put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the government's response to the virus [New York Times]. The CDC confirmed that a person in Northern California has contracted the virus without traveling to regions hit by the outbreak of the disease or coming in contact with anyone known to have the infection [Washington Post]. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for $8.5 billion in emergency funding to combat spread of the virus [CBS News]. More than 600 people in Massachusetts have been monitored for signs of the virus [Boston Globe]. A top official at the FDA warned the virus is on track to become a pandemic [Bloomberg]. Saudi Arabia is limiting travel by religious pilgrims to Mecca and the Kaaba [Fox News]. Markets tumbled again on Wednesday, but not as drastic as Monday or Tuesday [Bloomberg]. Trump supporters see a conspiracy by "deep state" actors to use the virus to damage his re-election chances in November [Politico]. ImmigrationA federal appeals court in New York ruled the Trump administration can withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement grants from so-called "sanctuary cities" [AP]. HistoricThe House passed legislation to make lynching a federal hate crime [Washington Post]. Hmmm...Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign sued the New York Times for libel over a 2019 opinion piece on the Russia scandal [Politico]. EconomyNew home sales in the U.S. climbed 7.9% in January [AP]. AstronomyEarth has a brand new natural moon that is approximately the size of a car [EarthSky]. BUSINESS HEADLINESInland port bill moves forward with support from Salt Lake City leaders (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Inland Port compromise bill between Salt Lake City, state clears first hurdle (Deseret News) City still pondering airport improvements to help aerospace company's pending expansion (Standard-Examiner) Bountiful startup's migraine prevention glasses bring $250,000 in seed funding to Northern Utah (Standard-Examiner) San Francisco-based tech company, moving sales HQ, jobs to Ogden (Standard-Examiner)Policy NewsUtah business leader writes that Iranian people must forge a path to a constitutional democracyNote: Khosrow B. Semnani and Amir Soltani recently published an op-ed about Iran in The Washington Times. An excerpt and a link to the full article are below. Semnani, a long-time Utahn, is an Iranian-American industrialist, community leader and philanthropist. Amir Soltani, a human rights activist, is the author of "Zahra's Paradise," an award-winning graphic novel on Iran's 2009 protests.Michelle Flynn appointed as new Executive Director of The Road Home After an extensive national search, The Road Home, a nonprofit provider of emergency shelter, housing and other homelessness services in Salt Lake County, today announced that its board of trustees has selected Michelle Flynn to serve as the new executive director. Utah Council on Financial and Economic Education kicks off year of savings with Utah Saves Week Utah State Treasurer David Damschen announced that Utah is kicking off a savings-focused year with "Utah Saves Week" and urges Utahns to automate their savings. More National HeadlinesTrump Thumps Sanders in Head-to-Head Matchup (Rasmussen Reports) Coronavirus Weakens China's Powerful Propaganda Machine (New York Times) Democrats Debate: Senator Sanders Emerges in Garb of Jeremy Corbyn (New York Sun) Pelosi says she'd be comfortable with Sanders at top of ticket (The Hill) In Iran, an Electoral Flop (National Review) Bernie Sanders Hates America (National Review) Across the country, rural communities want to secede from their states. Here's why. (USA Today) Harvey Weinstein recorded robocall for Mike Bloomberg's 2005 mayoral bid (New York Post) Ex-FBI unit chief blows whistle on Comey, McCabe over warrantless spying (Just the News)ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY1782 - American Revolutionary War: The House of Commons of Great Britain votes against further war in America. 1922 - A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court in Leser v. Garnett. 1933 - Reichstag fire: Germany's parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire. Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch Communist claims responsibility. The Nazis use the fire to solidify their power and eliminate the communists as political rivals. 1939 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules sit-down strikes violate property owners' rights and are therefore illegal. 1951 - The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified. 1973 - Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) began a 71-day occupation at Wounded Knee, S.D., to protest the federal government's failure to live up to its agreements with Indian nations. Wise WordsSenate"About all I can say for the United States Senate is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation."Will Rogers Lighter SideSouth Carolina Primary"As a native son, I'm gonna be on this election like shrimp on grits, like mustard sauce on barbecue, like Confederate flags on more vehicles than I'm comfortable acknowledging." Stephen Colbert Listen to us on_Apple Podcasts Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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